By Pavan Potti
DAVIS — During last Monday’s Finance and Budget Commission Meeting, City of Davis Fire Department Chief Joe Tenney filled in commission members on his initiative to get a ladder truck for the city’s fire department.
With no formal approval given for the truck as of date, Tenney aimed at providing a cost analysis in an effort to further educate commission members on his department’s needs.
Tenney started his presentation by providing background as to how many incidents the Davis Fire Department (DFD) have occurred over the past two years.
As of 2019, Tenney reported that the DFD responded to 6,238 incidents. In 2020, this number was 5,870. Additionally, the department’s supplemental unit known as Squad 31 responded to 832 incidents while UCD Truck 34 responded to 115 incidents.
He acknowledged that the city’s downtown station serves more than 52 percent of calls.
Tenney also listed the recommendations given to the department by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA). According to the NFPA, 17 personnel members are recommended for issues occurring at a residence, 28 personnel for a three-story apartment as well for open air/strip malls and 42 personnel for high rises.
Four personnel members are recommended per engine truck, with that number going up to six in areas of high hazard such as high altitude areas.
Tenney proceeded to provide the five critical resource needs of his department: an aerial ladder truck (100 feet in length), additional administrative staff, a replacement to Fire Station 31 and a new training facility.
He also detailed the equipment on the ladder trucks, requiring an aerial ladder, ground ladder complements, portable lightings, special rescue tools (for both technical rescues and confined space rescues) and power generators.
Tenney also shared an Ideal Staffing Model for the department. According to the model, 6 new personnel are needed for the current Squad 31 personnel transfer to Truck 31. There also needs to be 12 personnel members to meet the four-person daily minimum staffing and nine personnel members to meet the three-person daily minimum staffing.
Tenney capped off his presentation by listing some possible funding sources for the department’s needs. He cited the Public Safety Development Impact fees as one-time costs, while listing both the FEMA safer grant and FEMA Assistance for Firefighters grant as other possible sources of funding.
Post the presentation, commission members took into account Tenney’s cost analysis while acknowledging that the city has limited resources. Since the ladder truck would be a resource provided by the state, Tenney’s proposal would impact city finances and would require taxpayers to pay.
Some other questions which commission members discussed as yet to be answered are: whether the truck purchased would be new or used, as well as what would be the most cost-effective way to acquire it.
If the motion for the ladder is passed, the commission will have to present the proposal to the City Council in a document with both Tenney’s and their proposals included.
Pavan is a third year student studying Economics from Fremont, California.
